TEST OF WRITTEN ENGLISH SCORING GUIDE1

10 Demonstrates clear competence in writing on both the rhetorical and syntactic

(A) levels, though it may have occasional errors
A paper in this category
 effectively addresses the writing task
 is well-organized and well-developed
 uses clearly appropriate details to support a thesis or illustrate ideas
 displays consistent facility in the use of language
 demonstrates syntactic variety and appropriate word choice
9 Demonstrates competence in writing on both the rhetorical and syntactic levels,
(B+) though it will probably have occasional errors
A paper in this category
 may address some parts of the task more effectively than others
 is generally well-organized and developed
 uses details to support a thesis or illustrate an idea
 displays facility in the use of the language
 demonstrates some syntactic variety and range of vocabulary
7-8 Demonstrates minimal competence in writing on both the rhetorical and syntactic
(B levels
A paper in this category
C+)  addresses the writing topic adequately but may slight parts of the task
 is adequately organized and developed
 uses some details to support a thesis or illustrate an idea
 demonstrates adequate but possibly inconsistent facility with syntax and usage
 may contain some errors that occasionally obscure meaning
5-6 Demonstrates some developing competence in writing, but it remains flawed on
(C) either the rhetorical or syntactic level, or both
A paper in this category may reveal one or more of the following weaknesses:
 inadequate organization and development
 inappropriate or insufficient details to support or illustrate generalizations
 a noticeably inappropriate choice of words or word forms
 an accumulation of errors in sentence structure and/or usage
3-4 Suggests incompetence in writing
(D) A paper in this category is seriously flawed by one or more of the following weaknesses:
 serious disorganization or underdevelopment
 little or no detail, or irrelevant specifics
 serious and frequent errors in sentence structure or usage
 serious problems with focus.
1-2 Demonstrates incompetence in writing
(F) A paper in this category
 may be incoherent
 may be underdeveloped
 may contain severe and persistent writing errors.

1
Educational Testing Service, Princeton NJ